Lighting system



Dec. 29,v 1942. w. G. DARLEY- LIGHTING SYSTEM Filed Dec. 1 8, 1959 Inventor William Grle Patented Dec. 29, 1942 UNITED ls'llx'rtzs Plvfrtzlv'lv oFFicr.

LIGHTING SYSTEM william G. Daley, cleveland Heights, ohio, assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application December 18,1939, semi No.'soam y 3 calms. (ci. 24o-7s) My invention relates to interior lighting and more particularly to a lighting unit for use with tubular light sources and combinations thereofv for lighting interiors from within the ceiling.

One object or my invention is to' provide satisfactory lighting from overhead for interiors by use oi' tubular light sources. sources, such as tubular incandescent and fluorescent discharge lamps commercially available, provide one distinct advantage over other light sources in that they have'a large area of low brightness which' tends to provide shadowless and glareless lighting. The fluorescent lamps provide still other advantages in that such lamps are length's oi' the tubular light sources limits their f use to large lighting units which are rather unsightly and costly, but by incorporating said umts within the ceiling in accordance with my invention, the unsightliness is eliminated and the cost is greatly reduced.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a lighting unit adaptable for mounting up in the ceiling and preferably of such a size and construction as to` t in properly in commercial block-type ceilings, such as those made 'of soundabsorbing material. A lighting unit of this type may replace several blocks of the ceiling and thereby'eiect a considerable saving in labor and in cost of installation.

Still another object of my invention is to provide in a lighting unit using tubular light sources suitable louvers to aid in the distribution oi.' light and prevention of glare.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a plan view, as seen from below, of the ceiling of a room in which lighting units are incorporated according to my invention; Fig. 2 is a similar plan view of a section thereof on a larger scale; Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the ceiling along line 3 3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a vertical section through oneof the lighting umts on a still larger scale; and

Figs. 5 and 6 are vertical sections corresponding to those of Figs. 3 and 4 of amodication thereof. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing, the

light sources are a plurality of tubular lamps I0 which are mounted in separate troughs or re- Elongated light troughs Il are employed, theyconiorm in length to that of the commercial light sources IU available and are arranged in multiples as shown according to the size and shape of the area to be illuminated. The amount of light required con-y trolsthe spacing of the columns of troughs il, andin some instances may call for spacing betweenindividual troughs in each of the columns as th'e amount of light emitted by each trough I'I is necessarily controlled somewhat by the light sources available. It is preferred that the troughs l I and all other parts o i the separate .lighting unit I2 provided for each light source I0 i made up of square blocks` il of sound-absorbing material and each of the lighting units i2 has a flectors Il arranged in end to end relation in a be mounted up in the ceiling I3 with the open mouth of said trough in line with, or ilush' with, the lower-surface of said ceiling. In the particular instance shown in the drawing, the ceiling is width corresponding to that of one of said blocks I4 and a length corresponding to that of a number (four) of said blocks so as to reduce the labor and cost of installation.

'me trough' of each righting unit is com.

prised of a single piece of metal which is shaped as desired to give the proper distribution oi light from the specular, semi-specular or matt white inner surface thereof and the desiredcut-oi to the light source I0. Inl the particular instance shown in Figs. 1-4, the inner surface of the trough is matt white andis sh'aped so that a band l5 near the edge is not illuminated to the same high degree as the remainder of the trough in order to break the sharp contrast between the lighted trough Il and the unlighted ceiling. and so that a 45 degree cut-ofi' is provided to the light source i 0, as shown.

The light souce I0, in this case a fluorescent type lamp, is'mounted on sockets I8 which `are located at opposite ends of the lighting unit i2 and extend down through the trough I I from the box I1 mounted thereon which, in turn, contains the wiring and auxiliary equipment for the lamp. The box I1 extends from end to end of the trough Il and is sealed by the i'lat end plates I8 oi' the lighting unit i2 which have knock-outs I9 for continuing the wiring and.' if desired, making connection to electrical conduit. 'Ihe lend plates I8 are also cut out for the sockets I6 in order that they may be spaced farther apart and a standard length light source I0 used and the length of the lighting unit I2 conform to that of four ceiling blocks il. Between end-to-end positioned lighting units I2 only one end-plate I8 is used so that the partition formed thereby contrough II and prevent the light source I from being seen when looking along the said trough II in the normal angles of vision. Since the louvers must be moved to allow replacement of lamps in the lighting unit, they are arranged so that they may Vbe swung down out of the way.

A downwardly projecting lip 2| on the tongue 2I at the left of the louver 20 keeps it in place. A movement of said louver 20 upward and lto the right carries the tongue 2I out of the slot in the ,trough I I and allows it to swing about the pin 23 in the other tongue 22 which then holds it in place.

The means of supporting each lighting unit I2 consists partly of the structure also used to keep the sound-proof blocks I4 of the ceiling in place in that the transverse stiffening strips or ribs 24 located at opposite sides of the trough II at two different points rest directly on the parallel metal cross bars or rails 25 of the ceiling structure. No other holding means is used and the lighting units I2 must be moved up into place before the adjacent blocks I4 of the ceiling are slipped into position. The procedure consists in first pushing the lighting unit I2 up between the cross bars 25 on which it is to rest until the shoulders 26 on the ribs 24 engage said cross bars 25, lthen shifting said unit I2 to one side (say to the right) to cause the edge of the right hand cross bar 25 to engage a slot or notch 21 in each of the ribs 24 at that side, and then tilting said lighting unit to carry the lower widened ends of the other (left hand) ribs 24- above the corresponding (left hand) cross bar 25. The lower ends of the ribs 24 at the opposite (right hand) side of the unit I2 are then free to be lifted above the corresponding cross bar 25 after said unit I2 has been shifted over toward the opposite (left hand) side, and the lighting unit I2 needs only to be pushed back (to the right) to be set in place. When the unit is properly positioned the cross bars 24 are engaged by notches 28 in the ribs 24 and are thus prevented from shifting sideward and falling down. The adjacent blocks I4 of the ceiling can now be pushed into place whereupon no sideward movement of the light unit I2 is possible and it cannot fall out under any circumstances. It will be noted that it is not necessary to provide notches 21 in the ribs 24 at both sides 0f the unit.

Each of the blocks I4, as shown, comprises plate 2S supporting sound-absorbing material 30 and having upstanding edges 3I which slide up lzngtween two spring flanges 32 on the cross bars The modification I2' of my invention shown in Figs. 5 and 6 differs from my lighting unit I2 just described only in the shape of the trough I I' and louvers 2li' corresponding to trough II and louvers 20. In this instance, the trough II' is deeper to provide a 60 degree cut-of! from the iight source I0 and the louvers 20' are proportionately deeper.

It will be 'noted that the rows of lighting units I2 and ceiling block members I4 are interchangeable, so that it is possible to add additional lighting units by replacing one or more rowsof block members.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. Means of providing interior illuminating comprising a trough-shaped reflector located within the ceiling of said interior, means within and at opposite ends of said reflector for supporting and lmaking electrical connections to a tubular light source extending from end to end thereof, and means for supporting said reflector in an inverted position with vits open mouth substantially flush with the said ceiling comprising transverse outwardly projecting ribs attached to the sides of the reflector and resting on the ceiling structure.

2. Means of providing interior illuminating comprising a trough-shaped reflector located within the ceiling of said interior, means within and at opposite ends of said reflector for supporting and making electricalA connections to a tubular light source extending from end to end thereof, and means for supporting said reflector in an inverted position with its open mouth substantially flush with the said ceiling comprising transverse outwardly projecting ribs attached to the sides of the reflector and resting on the celling structure, the ribs on at least one side of said reflectorvbeing notched to permit insertion of said reflector in the ceiling opening 'in the manner described.

3. Means of providing interior illumination comprising a trough-shaped reflector located within the ceiling of said interior, means within .and at opposite ends of saidl reflector for supporting and making electrical connections to a tubular light source extending from end to end thereof, louvers positioned crosswise in said reflector for. directing light downward and for shielding the light source, support means for said louvers permitting displacement thereof to provide access to the light source comprising tongues at opposite sides of each of said louvers extending into slots adjacent the edges of said reflector, a lip portion extending downward from the outer end of the tongue at one side of the louver which prevents said tongue from being withdrawn through the cooperating slot except after anvupward movement of the louver, and means attached to the end of the opposite tongue for preventing said tongue froin being withdrawn through its cooperating slot to maintain the said side of the louver in engagement with the reflector, and means for supporting said reflector in an inverted position with its open mouth substantially flush with the said ceiling.

WILLIAM G. DARLEY. 

